


Just One, Perfect Day

by VioletIsabelleLovett



Series: We Are One [1]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Caryl, F/M, One Shot Collection, Prison, Season 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-06
Updated: 2014-12-06
Packaged: 2018-02-28 08:23:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2725550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VioletIsabelleLovett/pseuds/VioletIsabelleLovett
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For once, everything seemed to be going absolutely perfect.</p><p>(Part of a series of unrelated Caryl one-shots, titled "We Are One".)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just One, Perfect Day

**Author's Note:**

> My work on "The Piano Boy" is still in-progress. 
> 
> I have all of these one-shots already written, and posted on my old fanfiction.net account, and I figured I might as well post them on here. I'll be spacing out the times between updates whenever I see fit.

Carol sat outside in the prison yard, staring across the grass as the breeze blew lightly, ruffling  her short hair. As usual, a  handful of Walkers wandered around the outside borders of the fence, snarling and moaning whenever they heard a sound. Carol barely noticed them. Across the yard, Carl was playing baseball with his dad, Glenn, T-Dog, and Maggie. It was nice-  Daryl and Glenn had found some outdoors stuff and baseball equipment for everyone to play with on their last supply run. Carol had opted out of playing, since she had a headache that seemed to have persisted since Daryl ran out to gather more fuel for the cars.

She never felt quite safe when he was away, no matter how secure this prison seemed to be. She knew she was just being foolish- they could manage fine without Daryl, even if Walkers did somehow manage to break through the gates. It wasn’t so much that she felt the group was more vulnerable without him...she just felt safer. She glanced out to the road for what must have been the tenth time, hoping to hear the sound of his motorcycle roaring down the street. Nothing.

_Stop being so foolish. You’re never this anxious when he’s gone, what’s gotten into you?_

The truth was, she just wanted to see him. To hear that rough, husky voice of his. They had grown close over the past few months. In reality, they had grown closer ever since Daryl had risked his life looking for Sophia, even if it had been in vain. And lately, she was feeling more and more alone every time he volunteered to go for supply runs, which was often.

She tried to focus her attention on the baseball game a little down the yard, feeling happy that Rick was finally enjoying himself with his son.  Hershel was inside, resting. Lori, pregnant and watching the game from up close, was cheering her husband on as he goofily sprinted towards second base. Carol was glad that Rick and Lori were finally enjoying a stress-free moment with their son.

But where was Daryl and why was he taking so long?

He had only been gone for about twenty minutes. Carol sighed as the sun ducked in and out of the clouds.

_Enjoy the peace for now. God knows how long it’s going to last._

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, admiring the nice day. She was suddenly jolted out of her daydream by the familiar sound of Daryl’s motorcycle roaring down the road. Carl broke off from the game to hurriedly let him through. Carol couldn’t help herself: a goofy grin spread across her face at seeing Daryl back...home. Yeah. Home.

She normally wasn’t this excited to see him. He was around often, and there wasn’t really any escaping his company, or anyone’s company for that matter in this prison. So why was she so darn thrilled to see him when he hadn’t even been gone for an hour? Maybe it was just the calm, peacefulness of the day putting her in an extra giddy mood.

Standing up and stretching, she made her way over to the gate to where Daryl was unloading a few small tanks of gasoline.  Rick and T-Dog helped  him unload, and siphon the fuel into the van and a few of the cars.

“We’re playing baseball over in the field,”  Rick said to Daryl, motioning over to where the three bases were set up. “You should join us.”

Daryl raised an eyebrow, causing Carol to chuckle a bit.

“I’m, ah, not much of a baseball player.”

“Aw, c’mon Daryl. I’ll play with you,” Carol said, grinning and giving him a playful punch in the shoulder.

Daryl rolled his eyes. “I’m not playing.”

T-Dog shrugged. “Whatever. Hey Carl, what’s the score?”

“10-12.”

“Aw, we’re down by two! Let’s go, I’m not letting this kid beat me again.”

They laughed, and made their way back over to the field, bickering and teasing one another. Carol stood beside Daryl, watching them walk away.

“Care to join me? I promise, I won’t make you play. I was actually just watching them from down the yard.”

Daryl sighed, swinging his crossbow over his shoulder.

She took his hand, feeling a little nervous all of a sudden at the initiated contact. She knew Daryl did not like to be touched  very often, even if it was just something as simple as a handshake or a  pat on the back. She completely understood this, as her marriage with Ed had given her similar anxiety towards physical contact. But she allowed herself to tug at his hand, just a little bit, urging him to relax and come sit in the yard with her.

“Daryl, you look like you’re about to have a heart attack. When’s the last time you actually just sat and relaxed for a minute?”

He didn’t answer, just averted his eyes from her gaze.

“C’mon. It’s a nice day, and you’ve been running around like a chicken without a head all week. Take some time to enjoy it. For once, everyone seems to be having a good time...everyone except you.”

“A good time? Right, because being constantly surrounded by a bunch of brain-munching bastards while having to live in a prison is always a load of fun. Count me right in.”

Carol rolled her eyes.

“Come on.”

Despite his grumbling, he allowed her to  gently tug him into the yard where she had been sitting before. They sat  beside one another, watching the game, and occasionally  hearing cries of frustration and laughter from the two teams. They watched Maggie playfully shove Glenn slightly too hard, sending him toppling over. This, of course, sent them into a mock-fight that eventually lead to a full-blown kissing session.

“Maggie’s a funny one,” Carol said, smiling as Rick pulled them apart. “Real pretty, too.”

Daryl shrugged. “She’s alright.”

“What, don’t you like her?”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like her, but she ain’t all that pretty. I mean, I don’t know, I’m not saying she’s ugly or whatever...”

Carol turned to look at him, turning her head slightly, suddenly curious.

“Why  don’t you think she’s all that pretty? She’s probably the most gorgeous girl I’ve seen in a long time. Glenn’s lucky to have her. She’s smart, too.”

Daryl shrugged again, staring out into the field. “I don’t know. I’ve seen better looking. Didn’t think it really mattered all that much.”

“Hmm.”

“What?!”

“Nothing!”

Daryl rolled his eyes. “Why are you so concerned all of a sudden on what girls I find pretty?”

“I was just curious. Alright, if you don’t  think Maggie is pretty, what about Lori?”

“What?! She’s married!”

“What, so just because someone is married means you can’t have an opinion on their looks?”

“Oh my God...”

Daryl laid down on the grass, setting his crossbow off to the side. Carol looked down at him, and saw he was trying to hide a laugh.

“Lori’s okay, I guess. There. Happy?”

Carol  laughed and laid down beside him, staring up at the sky. She liked poking at him like this, because she knew it made him laugh, even if he was a bit uncomfortable. For a little while, they both didn’t say anything, just stared up at the clouds as they blew across the early May sky.

“I can’t bring myself to believe that you haven’t found at least one woman attractive this whole time that you’ve spent with us, Daryl.”

He groaned. “Shut it.”

“Daryl, you can’t possibly have not found at least one woman in this group to be attractive.”

“Maybe I have!”

Carol grinned. “I knew it! Who is it?”

“Why in God’s name would I ever tell you?”

“Because if you really didn’t want to, you’d pick up your crossbow and leave and then I’d feel like an idiot for making you mad. But you’re still laying there. So who is it? Was it Andrea?”

“No.”

“Oh...was it someone who-”

“No! Jesus, would you just shut up?  It doesn’t matter.”

Carol  sighed. Normally she’d feel stupid, but Daryl wasn’t even making a move to leave, so it obviously wasn’t bothering him that badly. But her curiosity was getting the better of her now. It wasn’t Lori, or Maggie, or Andrea...and apparently it was not someone who died...so who did Daryl  find attractive?

“Normally I wouldn’t mind this, Daryl, but you don’t strike me as the type that would be into guys-”

He raised an eyebrow at her, lifting  his head off the ground.

“Are you honestly implying that I’m gay?”

She laughed, feeling heat rising into her cheeks.

“Sorry, I’m just trying to figure this out. You aren’t into Lori, or Andrea, or Maggie, so that eliminates all the women, I just figured that maybe-”

“I’m not gay!”

“Alright!”

She really thought she had gone too far with that one, but he still didn’t leave her side. She decided  to stop pestering him about it. Daryl was not a man of emotional confessions, at least as far as she knew. They continued to enjoy the sun in silence, happy in each other's company  at least for now.

“Alright, Jesus, do you really want to know?” Daryl said after what must have been almost twenty minutes. He propped his head  up on his elbow so that he was facing her. Carol mimicked  his position, smiling a little smugly.

“Why yes, I would like to know.”

“A woman’s curiosity is more goddamn scary than this fucking apocalypse, I’ll tell you that right now. But uh...yeah, I like someone I guess.”

Daryl could just hear his brother’s voice now, feeling his cheeks about to heat up.

_Ooooooh little brother! He got the hots for someone tonight, ahahaha!_

Suddenly concerned, Carol put a hand on his shoulder. The way he averted his gaze from hers, and how his voice trailed off into a mumble told her that  this was more than just sexual attraction. He really cared about  someone here.

“Is she still alive?”

“Yeah.” He still didn’t look her in the eye.

“You can tell me, if you want.”

He looked up, finally meeting her gaze. He shook his head slightly, laughing quietly as if realizing  he was about to do something really stupid. Before Carol knew what was happening, he was kissing her. It wasn’t passionate, but it wasn’t light either. He was hesitant, unsure of himself and what he would get in return. He pulled away after a moment, and Carol felt her eyes flutter open. He was inches from her face, looking anxious  but determined. He was waiting for her response.

So she gave him one. More confidently, she kissed him back, moving closer so that she could feel his body head against hers. They forgot about the game, or the fact that almost everyone on the field had stopped to gape at them in surprise, and the fact that everyone they loved was either dead or far, far away.

Carol pulled away, resting her forehead on his and keeping a hand on his shoulder. She wanted to protect him, just as he  had protected and looked after her when Sophia was missing. Because as much as he tried to hide it, he wasn’t as cold or as confident as he seemed to be. She had seen the ugly scars on his back, and the way he would often curse his father, it wasn’t hard to guess where they came from.

“You never gave up on my daughter, Daryl. Thank you,” she murmured.

He opened his eyes, fully realizing the impact his determination had been to finding Sophia, even if in vain, had meant to her. He was still in disbelief that  this was even happening. For once, everything didn’t seem like it was going to shit. Things were working out the way he hoped. He had  almost immediately regretted kissing her, thinking it impossible that she would even consider him...that way. But goddamn. She did.

He sat up, pulling her so that she was sitting in between his legs with her back to him. He rubbed her shoulders, the way she loved it, feeling her head rest against his chest. From across the  yard, the baseball players were watching this interesting change in events.  

“Congrats!” Glenn yelled, as the others chuckled to themselves.

“Yeah, shut up!” Daryl yelled back. He felt Carol laugh against his chest. Despite the fact that they now had an audience, Daryl put his arms around her, resting his chin on her head as the others continued the game.

“Idiots can’t mind their own goddamn business...” he grumbled.

“Oh come on, you know you saw that coming,” she said, taking his hand and squeezing it.

“Hm.”

She gave him a small kiss. She never thought she would ever be truly happy again, not after watching Sophia stagger out of the barn as a...she didn’t want to finish the thought, not now, not while Daryl had his arms  protectively around her, as a silent promise that nothing was ever going to  happen to her ever again. He had failed her once. He was not going to make that mistake ever again.

Everyone was happy that day. They had no trouble with the walkers all day, and had finally  managed to enjoy themselves.

As they all made their way to their cells, Daryl and Carol lingered outside Daryl’s cell. She took both of his hands, giving him one quick kiss goodnight.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He smiled a little, and nodded.

As she went to walk back to her cell, he heard him call out her name, just loudly enough so  that she could hear. She turned, her head cocked to one side.

“I, ah, will take you up on that offer now,” he said, grinning a bit slyly. He scratched the back of  his head, feeling a little nervous.

“What offer?”

“The night we came here.You asked me if I wanted to screw around.”

She didn’t say anything at first, still processing what he had just said.

But before they knew it, he was grinning from ear to ear, and she was laughing, practically running over to him and crashing into his arms. He grabbed her hand, and they both stumbled into his cell for the night as the moon shone  through the prison.

Needless to say, they didn’t fall asleep for quite some time.


End file.
